School tells Native teen not to come to class after smudging

A Native student in Manitoba is speaking out after his school told him not to come to class after smudging.

Stephen Bunn, 17, was initially questioned for using drugs. But when he told school officials that he was smudging in the morning before class, he was surprised by their response.

"The last thing the school told me was if I was going to smudge, then get your mom to excuse you for the day, get her to call in," Bunn told CBC News. "If I was to smudge, they wouldn’t want me to attend school."

The Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School has a scent-free/fragrance-free policy. Officials say they are working with an elder to ensure students can engage in smudging without causing "discomfort for students and staff," QMI News reported.